Overdose Awareness Day event today in Springfield

In this season of almost weekly festival events, Overdose Awareness Day may seem out of place. The Clark County Substance Abuse Coalition is making it a reminder of what we have, may have lost and the hope it can give for the future.

The event will be highlighted by the third Chalk the Walk activity in which families and friends of those affected by overdose or anyone attending can use chalk on the sidewalks of the park to send messages to their loved ones and messages of hope.

A new artwork opportunity will allow visitors to take a permanent reminder of the event’s importance with them, “Chalk the Rock,” in which rocks will be available to create designs on.

“We’re excited to be able to offer this new activity and offer Chalk the Walk again,” said Jacob Clark, Clark County Combined Health District health planner, drug overdose prevention and coalition member. “Substance use is a stigma and can make people feel very alone and this is a way to create connections.”

Credit: Bill Lackey

Visitors meet individuals whose lives were affected by substance abuse, listen to their stories and learn from them, including some who have joined the staffs of health and prevention organizations. There will be a number of vendors who provide information and services to get help.

At 5:30 p.m., Kim McKinley, the site manager of Springfield’s Sunrise Treatment Center, will be the featured speaker. As someone on the front line, she’ll address the stigma of substance use and how the community can help in healing.

Clark said there are already hopeful signs: There were more than 100 overdose cases in 2017 and that’s steadily dropped to 79 in 2021, 61 in 2022 and 52 in 2023.

“We’re starting to see it come down but we’d like to get that number down to zero,” he said.

The event will offer Narcan distribution and training, harm reduction, prevention and recovery services information.

“About everyone has known someone who has or been affected by substance abuse themselves and this is a way to bring the stigma down,” Clark said.